


arrival

by sweetgoodgraciousangel



Series: Month of May Prompts 2019 [30]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, M/M, this is ace's intro scene in my story forget me not, this is the first time he's seen anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 22:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19029613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetgoodgraciousangel/pseuds/sweetgoodgraciousangel
Summary: “Nothing? Good. Well then, I’ll proceed.” He continued, his tone too kind for the mischief lurking in his eyes. In that moment, he slowly bowed, a hand over his chest as if he were presenting his own case to them in a pleading manner.“My name is Ace. I couldn’t help but overhear your plight - “





	arrival

“Let’s face it,” Butterfly whispered, leaning against the wall with a frown, “I’ll probably never get my memories back at this rate.”

 

It hurt to think, but they were dealing with a King. If a King says no, then that was more than final. To persuade him to let them have that spell was going to be like swimming in a tank full of sharks, waiting to make the wrong move and be eaten up - or in this case, beheaded. 

 

“I can help with that.”

 

The two were startled out of their conversation by the addition of the new, unfamiliar voice interrupting them. It was dark and slightly rumbly - with a touch of playfulness to the tone, like the person who said it had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to step in and make themself known. Butterfly had been more than positive beforehand that they were alone (which is why they even went down this discreet back way anyway to avoid someone hearing what they were talking about), so she instinctively stepped closer to Alice, who grasped onto her wrist for extra measure. 

 

In unison, they called out.

 

“Who’s there?!”

 

There was no reply for a few seconds. Butterfly got the distinct feeling that whoever was lurking around them was definitely messing around with them, practically set in stone whenever the only response they got was an echoing chuckle that shook her heart slightly. The path they were on lead only to a dead end, so if they were trapped here with someone then that, quite frankly, would be it.

 

Then, like a cat slinking into view from the shadows, a decently tall and somewhat good looking man stepped out from around the corner with an too-clear know-it-all expression on his face. He was dressed kind of fancily, distantly reminding Butterfly of what a detective might wear, with a purple and black striped cape hugging his shoulders and a cap on his head. His hair was a darker purple and on the longer side, kind of curly on the ends and his bangs curtaining his face. 

 

He smiled, and perhaps in a brighter setting without all the tension hanging thickly in the air it might have been charming or kind. But it was breathtaking, if not slightly terrifying, to finally see the pointed pearly white fangs he had in his mouth. Butterfly gulped, returning the grip Alice had on her with equal vigor. She wasn’t sure about her, but she was not about to become vampire food for anyone before she’s even able to remember her own first name.

 

“Don’t be alarmed,” the man said, holding up his hands innocently. 

 

“Who are you?” Alice barked, looking ready for anything. The man sighed, frowning.

 

“If you’d let me finish…”

 

He paused, as if waiting for anymore interjections. Alice snapped her mouth closed, but still stuck close to Butterfly. The only thing relieving about this entire situation was knowing Alice was greatly talented with magic, having demonstrated that enough with the beasts she fought off before to save Butterfly when they met. One good fireball in this man’s face and they would be clear to make a run for it, she was positive, even in this enclosed space. 

 

Still, it looked as if he had something to say…

 

“Nothing? Good. Well then, I’ll proceed.” He continued, his tone too kind for the mischief lurking in his eyes. In that moment, he slowly bowed, a hand over his chest as if he were presenting his own case to them in a pleading manner.

 

“My name is Ace. I couldn’t help but overhear your plight - “

 

“Eavesdropping?” Butterfly snapped, and again the man -  _ Ace  _ \- groaned loudly, visibly agitated. He straightened up, huffing. 

 

“Can you let me say something  _ please _ ? I overheard your plight, and I wanted to help.”

 

Not actively seeking out to start anything, Butterfly waited a few seconds before speaking up again. She couldn’t help but admit she was slightly intrigued. 

 

“Help… how?”

 

Ace laughed, too proud for what was going on. The fangs in his mouth were almost too prominent, sharp and dangerous. His hands went to his hips, his head tilting in the direction of the grand Palace in the distance, regarding it with a strange expression. The mischief slowly morphed into something a little more devious, like right before them a plan was dancing around in his mind. 

 

“I happen to know the King of this place very well. Jester is a bit of a killjoy sometimes though.”

 

He looked to Butterfly, and she shivered underneath his gaze. He knew the King? For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that. There’s no way...

 

“You mentioned that you lost your memories?” He asked, tilting his head once more. She was hesitant to answer, not knowing how wise it would be to tell a complete stranger everything about herself - because, well, that at the moment  _ was  _ all she knew about herself - but in that moment, catching Alice’s expression off to the side, she looked rather curious (albeit still cautious) of this man. She deemed for the moment it would be okay to share at least that much.

 

“...I did,” Butterfly finally answered. “I was hoping King Jester would help me, but he denied it. He has a spell that can restore lost things, like memories. He wouldn’t hear us out though.”

 

She’s not entirely sure why, but once more the emotion on his face changed. It dropped into something a whole lot more disappointed and - strangely enough - vaguely worried. Not about her, mind you, but upon mentioning of the King, he turned sour. It was convincing enough that it made her previous doubt of his claim of knowing the King wither away slightly. She supposed it’s not entirely uncommon for a person living in a Kingdom to be worried about their Ruler, but this was on a whole other level. 

 

In that moment, Ace spoke again, determined.

 

“I know how to sneak into the Palace. I was going to visit him tonight, after all. You’re welcome to join me, if you would allow it. I’ll even help you find that spell you’re looking for.”

 

Alice and Butterfly exchanged glances. Butterfly couldn’t say she had a very good read on this guy, but she’s not entirely positive it would be a good idea to get mixed up with him. He had suspicious written on every corner of his being practically, yet it wasn’t enough to compel her to immediately say no. Alice looked more than ready to deny him, like they were going to handle this on their own, but Butterfly spoke up before she had the chance to.

 

“What time?”

 

“Butterfly!” Alice hissed. She turned to face her, finally letting go of her wrist.

 

“We don’t have a choice, Alice! It’s either we go with him or we’ll likely never see that spell.”

 

Alice hesitated. She looked Ace up and down one final time, like she was trying to get a good look about him. They both knew this was sketchy as hell, that it was probably the worst idea they’d had all day but dammit they both knew it was right. King Jester was the only person in this world to have that spell and if Butterfly were to ever recover her memories, they’d have to get it somehow.

 

“Okay,” she said quietly. “But the second anything happens, so we don’t get arrested, we need to make a run for it.” 

 

Butterfly couldn’t disagree with that. So with a final nod, they both turned to Ace, who was waiting with an expectant smirk.

 

“When the sun starts going down,” Ace said, “meet me at the back of the Palace, by the large oak tree that hangs over the fencing.”

 

“Is that how we’ll get in?” Butterfly asked. Ace laughed once more, shaking his head.

 

“No, no. Just a convenient place. Either way…”

 

Ace held out his hand, shaking both of theirs in greeting. He was ice cold to the touch and now that he was closer, Butterfly could see dark bags underneath his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in a good long while.

 

“It’s quite pleasant to meet the both of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> one more story... and i'll have written a story every day this month


End file.
